Orange City, Iowa — Northwestern College officials in Orange City are telling us that for the fifth consecutive year, Northwestern has set enrollment records.
They say this fall’s enrollment is 1,715, up three students from last year.
Northwestern tells us they have set another record with 543 graduate students enrolled in their master’s degree programs in education, physician assistant studies, and counseling, up from 531 last year. Northwestern’s Graduate School and Adult Learning division has a total of 670 students, which includes 127 in its undergraduate degree-completion programs in early childhood and nursing (RN-BSN).
International student enrollment is the highest it’s been in a decade, with a total of 48 residential undergraduates. A high freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 79.9% also contributed to this year’s enrollment record.
Tamara Fynaardt, Northwestern’s vice president for enrollment and marketing says that they feel blessed to be starting the year with their fifth straight fall enrollment record, especially at a time in which many other schools are seeing declines. She says, “It’s rewarding to see large numbers of both new and returning students who are attracted to Northwestern because of our commitment to help them stand out academically, spiritually and relationally, and be prepared to lead lives of significance.”
College officials tell us that with Northwestern’s Graduate School and Adult Learning division offering six terms of eight-week online classes throughout the year, the college reaches far more students than are listed in the fall stats. Records show Northwestern’s total student headcount for 2022−23 was 2,129.
